This move is good news in the fight against superbugs, antibiotic-resistant infections that take the lives of about 23,000 Americans each year. The overuse of antibiotics leads to these drug-resistant strains of bacteria, and health experts are concerned that treating animals used for food with human antibiotics is accelerating the problem.

It's heartening that both consumers and companies are becoming more aware of what's in their food. The next step is listening to consumers who want better animal welfare practices for animals kept in farms.

An incredible 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are given to livestock. Some are used to artificially grow animals beyond their normal weight, so that farmers can harvest more meat with less money. This leads to suffering for the animals involved. Through a combination of genetic selection and drugging, for example, some commercial turkeys and chickens can barely stand up, let alone function, under the weight of their breasts. Stopping the use of antibiotics for these purposes would be a good step forward for animals.

Acknowledging that there are human risks to factory-farmed meat is a small sign that the tide is turning. But if Big Food really wants to listen to consumers, the next step would be to improve the conditions of animals so antibiotics aren't needed.